1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to medical devices and more particularly, to an improved adaptor connector system enabling popular, existing syringes to selectively interface with various intravenous ("I.V.") ports and/or to function as a hypodermic syringe for injecting medicaments subcutaneously.
2. Description of the Invention Background
To enable the most efficient administration of small doses of precise measured amounts of medicament to a patient who has been prepped with an I.V. port, hypodermic syringes have been equipped with special fittings on the front of the syringe barrel. These fittings provide a nose portion constructed to present a close fit within many of the port fittings now being employed, such that, upon manipulation of an attached syringe plunger, medicament is supplied in a controllable manner to the I.V. system through the fitting and into the port. Unfortunately, many I.V. ports being used throughout a sizable number of medical facilities present a configuration that is incompatible with one or more of the popular syringe fittings on the market. Accordingly, a need will be seen for some manner of using existing syringe fittings with a greater number of available I.V. ports and the present adaptor which engages slots in a syringe fitting is felt to solve a long standing problem in this art.
The broad concept of syringe fittings employing attachment devices comprising cooperating slotted formations and wherein attachment and removal of the fitting is accomplished through a twisting action between the components, will be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,793,068, issued Feb. 17, 1931 to Dickinson; U.S. Pat. No. 2,574,964, issued Nov. 13, 1951 to Eisenstark; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,037, issued Oct. 5, 1993 to Bitdinger. Further examples of a twist lock construction to affix a cannula hub to a syringe barrel nose will be found in French Patent No. 706.714 of Jun. 29, 1931 and German Patent No. 130,863 of May 15, 1902.
When equipped with hypodermic needles, syringes are also used to inject precise amounts of medicament subcutaneously. Thus, adaptor systems of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,417, issued on May 22, 1990 to Moncada et al. have been developed for attaching hypodermic needles to syringes. Also, in recognition of the risks associated with inadvertent "needle sticks" by the administering medical personnel, various displaceable needle sheaths have been developed. For example, a variety of different needle sheath and guard arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,994, issued Jul. 25, 1989 to Zerbst et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,354 issued Jun. 25, 1991 to Kocses; U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,066 issued Sep. 3, 1991 to Scheuble et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,326 issued Nov. 3, 1992 to Talonn et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,100 issued Oct. 19, 1993 to Huband. However, those guard and sheath arrangements are ill-suited for use in connection with a syringe that is equipped to alternatively employ fittings adapted for use in various port arrangements.
As can be gleaned from the above-discussed shortcomings of other syringe arrangements, it is apparent that there is a need for an adaptor system for use with a syringe that can enable the syringe to interface with a variety of different port configurations.
There is a further need for an adaptor system having the attributes mentioned above that can also have a hypodermic needle, cannula, trocar, etc. selectively attached thereto.
There is yet another need for an adaptor system with the above-mentioned attributes that also employs a protective needle sheath or guard that can be easily manipulated to expose the needle without being separated from the syringe.
It will also be appreciated that when a syringe adaptor is inserted into a ports it sometimes becomes necessary to rotate the adaptor or the port-carrying member to establish a fluid-tight connection therebetween. However, when employing adaptors that are attached to a syringe fitting by a twist-lock arrangement, the adaptor can accidently become detached from the syringe fitting during the insertion of the adaptor into the port. Thus, there is still another need for a syringe adaptor that can be readily attached and detached from a syringe fitting and that will not become accidentally detached from the fitting if it becomes necessary to rotate the adaptor or receiving port during the insertion process.